You Never Know
by princess addy
Summary: You never know what the universe will throw at you. When Captain Jack returns to Earth, he discovers something that doesn't quite make sense. What did Jack miss while he was away?
1. Chapter 1

The soft, grey light of morning slowly crept across the sky. Misty dew hung suspended in the cool air over the quiet streets as day slowly came to the city. In a few short hours these same streets and sidewalks would be filled with people. But for now, they were quiet with all but a very few of the city's residents still asleep in their beds. Here and there through out the city a few people had the opportunity to experience the peaceful solitude of daybreak, most of them headed home after long night shifts occupied with their private reflections.

The tranquility of the empty plaza was disrupted by a sudden flash of blue light and a "pop" that could have been described as more seen than heard had anyone been present to witness the event. "I'll never get used to that," uttered the tall, attractive man who appeared at the source of the light, "Vortex manipulator," he muttered to himself, stumbling slightly, "without a doubt the universe's most unpleasant mode of transportation."

The man shook himself as he looked around. His eyes carefully studied the city around him. "Cardiff," he said to himself, "early 21st century, apparently." The man took a deep breath and turned to look at the structure behind him. "And they've rebuilt." He ran a hand through his movie star hair as he wondered how long it had been since he had last been here.

"Captain Harkness?" a voice called. The man turned in the direction of the voice. "Captain Harkness," the young woman said again.

The man nodded a confused expression on his face. "Sometimes," he answered vaguely.

"I have something meant for you." She held out her right hand, offering him a sealed white envelope.

"And you are?" the man asked. Taking the envelope she offered.

"Ashlynn Fredricks, Torchwood" the woman told him. "We've been waiting for you."

The man looked down at the envelope in his hand. A printed label bearing the words 'Captain Jack Harkness' had been affixed beneath a single handwritten word: 'Jack'. The handwriting seemed familiar, he had known it once. His eyes stared blankly as he searched his memory. "Gwen?" he said softly, recognition dawning in his blue eyes. He quickly tore open the envelope and pulled out the note inside. "Jack," he read, "Number thirteen Bannerman Road, Ealing. Just trust me. Gwen." He looked up at the woman who had delivered the note. "Sarah Jane Smith, why?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know, sir," she said. "As far as I know, Gwen Cooper wrote that note years ago and it's been in the Torchwood files ever since. Torchwood was instructed to deliver the envelope to you, if for any reason she was unreachable upon your return."

"Unreachable as in…?" the former Time Agent prompted.

"Missing, dead or injured," the woman clarified. The man nodded absent-mindedly, still puzzling over the note in his hand and the mysterious fate of its writer. "There was a note underneath the instructions in the file," Fredricks continued. "Something about 'They'll need Jack.'" She shrugged indicating she did not know what it meant. The man nodded again and both figures turned to leave.

As she walked back the way she had come, Ashlynn Fredricks turned back towards the retreating figure of the former head of Torchwood 3. "By the way," she called after him, "welcome back, Captain Jack!" Hearing her words, the man smiled sadly. It seemed Captain Jack Harkness was back, whether he was ready or not.


	2. Bannerman Road

Jack arrived on Bannerman Road by that afternoon. Puzzling over Gwen's note and the instructions she had left had kept him occupied on the train from Cardiff to London and on the bus out to Ealing. Why would Gwen send him to see Sarah Jane Smith? Who did she mean by "they" and why would "they" need him? By the time he reached the door of 13 Bannerman Road, Jack had decided that if he was going to get answers he would just have to follow Gwen's directions and trust her. Taking a deep breath, Jack raised his hand to ring the bell. _Jack_, yelled a voice inside his head, _just ring the doorbell_.

Jack rolled his eyes at the voice, which come to think of it sounded a bit like that of one Gwen Elizabeth Cooper, and pushed the button. Soft footsteps could be heard coming from inside the house. Jack moved back slightly on the stoop as the door opened and froze. The face in the doorway was not that of Sarah Jane Smith nor did it belong to her son. In the open doorway stood a teenage girl, her long, dark blonde hair falling loose around her shocked face. The girl stared for a moment and then uttered the two most surprising words Jack had ever heard. "Uncle Jack?"

_**Ooh, a cliffy…I know short chapter, but it seemed like a good spot to put the break.**_

_**Reviews and advice always appreciated.**_


	3. Uncle Jack?

"Uncle Jack?"

Coming out of her daze the girl twisted her neck so that she was looking over her shoulder. Her long blonde hair, a colour like darkened honey, swished around her head, flying out to brush against the door frame. "Ana! Aunt Sarah!" the girl called into the house.

Moments later a second teenage girl appeared behind the one who had answered the door. Unlike the first teenager, this girl had hair so dark it was almost black. "What is it, Mer?" the raven-haired girls asked as she approached the door. As stepped into the doorway her hazel-rimmed green eyes connected with Jack's brilliant blue ones. "Uncle Jack?" she gasped.

Once again, Jack found himself stunned into immobility. This time it wasn't so much the words but her eyes. Jack didn't know this girl, but he knew those eyes. He had seen a pair just like them nearly everyday for over two years. This girl had eyes like Gwen Cooper.

_**[Well…You can guess who at least one of the girls is now. Again it's a short chapter, but **__**I like rationing the story like this. It keeps me interested and I know what's going to happen (for the most part). I hope it keeps you interested as well.**_

_**Please tell me how I'm doing. Tell me what you want to see in this story. Your suggestions, ideas and requests will all be taken into consideration; some may even generate a new story.]**_


	4. Chapter 4

Before Jack had recovered from the shock of two strange teenagers, one of whom looked remarkably like Gwen, referring to him as their uncle, Sarah Jane Smith appeared at the door as well. With the ease of an experienced parent, Sarah Jane shooed the girls away from the door instructing them to put the kettle on for a pot of tea. She greeted Jack with a friendly smile, "Captain Harkness, please come in," Sarah Jane invited.

She ushered him towards the kitchen. As Jack made himself comfortable at the kitchen table, Sarah Jane brought out four cups and a plate of baked goodies. The fair-haired girl placed a sugar bowl and milk pitcher in front of Jack, while the slightly taller, darker girl filled the teapot from the now boiling kettle. When everyone was seated and the tea had been poured, Sarah Jane began. "I'm sure you have questions," she said addressing Jack who nodded.

"They called me 'Uncle Jack'," he said still sounding a little stunned.

"Mum called you that," the dark-haired girl informed him, "when she showed us pictures."

Jack turned to look at her. "Gwen? Gwen's your mother? You're the baby, aren't you?"

The girl nodded yes to all three questions. "Morgana Seren Cooper-Williams. That's my sister," she said pointing to the daintier blonde, "Meredith Anwen."

"Captain, there's something else you should know," Sarah Jane warned him gently. Jack turned away from the sisters to eye Sarah cautiously. "The girls; they're twins."

Jack looked confused. He knew for sure that the scan in the Hub had only shown one baby. That medical scanner was far too advanced to miss the second twin, which could only mean one of two things. Either Jack was sitting across from an impossible child or he was going crazy. On the other hand, Jack himself was impossible, the man who cannot die. Still, these twins didn't make sense and Jack found that just a little disturbing.

"It doesn't make any sense, right?" the light-haired girl piped up. "If there are two of us, why didn't we both show up on the medical scan?" Jack nodded his head. The girl had said exactly what he was thinking.

"Yes, Mum told us about the scanner and the bomb…" the other girl said rolling her eyes at Jack's surprised look. "Anyway, it's simple. Meredith," she gestured towards her sister, "wasn't there."

[I'm very sad. Nobody's reviewing my story. Without feedback, how do I measure the quality of my story? _Hint, hint_]


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you mean Meredith wasn't there?" Jack exclaimed pushing his chair back. "How is that even possible? If you're twins," he pointed back and forth between the two girls, "than Gwen had to pregnant with BOTH of you at the same time." He hopped to his feet and began pacing. "If Meredith wasn't there…that makes you," he spun pointing to Meredith, "the impossible child." He crouched down in front of the delicate looking teenager, staring at her intently. "Who ARE you, Meredith Anwen? Who are you?" he muttered mostly to himself. Rising to his feet, Jack turned to Sarah Jane. "You wouldn't leave a mystery like this alone," he said still thinking out loud. "Tell me everything you know," he ordered slipping into Captain mode.

Instead of Sarah Jane it was Meredith herself who spoke first. "Well, Uncle Jack. It's like this: Morgana here, or Ana, may be the Torchwood baby…"

"…But, Mer," her sister finished, "is, as you put it, the impossible child."

Finally Sarah Jane spoke. "Captain, Meredith didn't exist until Gwen Cooper was six months pregnant with Morgana." Jack asked her how they knew that Morgana was the original baby. "That's the simple part," Sarah Jane explained. "Morgana is the biological daughter of Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams. Meredith, on the other hand, has no father."

[_I know you were hoping Meredith was Jack's, weren't you? Meredith Anwen Cooper-Williams is the Impossible Child. Her sister, Morgana Seren, is the Torchwood Baby ('cause Jack and Ianto sort of made her the team baby when she was discovered). Her foster brother is the Boy Who Was Never Born. And her 'uncle' is the Man Who Cannot Die. Could it really be that simple? More surprises coming. By the way: Gwen will appear in this story, I just haven't figured out how or when. Keep the reviews coming and I love it when my readers offer their ideas for my stories._]


	6. Chapter 6

[_This chapter is proving to be the most difficult to write yet. Please let me know what you think of the final product._]

At this point, Jack decided that expressing bewilderment had become a waste of time and that he should just let the others talk. Adopting the casual posture he had often used during Torchwood meetings as his team relayed their findings; Jack leaned back in his chair with his ankles crossed and drank his tea. Over the next few hours he was brought up date on everything he had missed over the past sixteen years.

"As you know, Mam was just over six months pregnant when you left," Morgana reminded Jack, who nodded for her to continue her story. Taking a deep breath the dark haired girl lunched into her story. "Well, that's when things got confusing…"

Meredith's sudden arrival seemed to roughly coincide with Jack's own departure. As the story unfolded, Jack was pleased to learn that Martha Jones (well, Martha Jones-Smith now) had been the one to first detect a second baby. Apparently, Gwen had contacted "Dr. Martha" (as the girls referred to her) as soon as things died down from Earth's encounter with the 456. Gwen had reasoned, quite sensibly in Jack's opinion, that if anything she had encountered through Torchwood were to affect her pregnancy, than Martha would be the best doctor to handle it. Apparently, the second baby (who would turn out to be Meredith) had been at the exact same stage of development as her sister, despite there having been no previous evidence of her existence. Other than the unexplained appearance of a twin after six months Gwen's pregnancy was completely normal. Two months, three weeks and six days after Meredith's initial detection, she was born just 20 minutes after her sister.

Naturally, once the girls were born, Martha ran a number of tests in an attempt to shed some light on things. Instead of clearing things up, the test results had only added to the mystery. The tests proved three things; the first being that both girls were entirely human. Secondly, Morgana's DNA came from Gwen and Rhys; she was their biological daughter. Thirdly, Meredith was related to Gwen and Morgana, but not to Rhys. This revelation led to a search for the origin of the other half of Meredith's DNA. Fifteen years later, the mystery was still unsolved. "Dr. Martha even tried comparing my DNA to the DNA profiles stored in the Torchwood server," Meredith told Jack. Apparently that hadn't led to any answers either. "Dr. Martha did say something about some "unusual similarities" though," Meredith commented.

"Unusual how?" Jack asked. "I mean some similarities would be expected; there were a lot of genetic profiles in those records."

"Random similarities would be expected, yes," Meredith answered calmly, "but, from what I heard, these weren't random."

Jack wanted to know how these genetic similarities were linked, but the twins insisted that Martha would be the one to explain everything to him. Jack was about to argue, when the doorbell rang. Morgana's head whipped around so that the dark-haired girl could check the clock. "Shoot!" she exclaimed. "That'll be Jess and Katie," she said turning to her sister. "We gotta go!"

Both girls leapt from their seats. Morgana quickly stacked her plate on top of her sister's and carried both girls' plates and cups to the sink, while Meredith sprinted up the stairs and quickly reappeared carrying to knapsacks. "Ana!" the fairer girl called to her sister, swinging the blue bag in her left hand over her own shoulder while she tossed the black bag in her right hand to her sister. Morgana turned and caught the bag her sister tossed with an ease that proved to Jack that both girls had performed this particular maneuver a great many times. Morgana slipped the straps of her backpack onto both shoulders and gave her guardian a quick peck on the cheek, before running to join her sister. "Bye, Aunt Sarah!" the girls called in unison as they rushed off, "See you after practice!" As the girls ran out of the kitchen, Meredith paused long enough to lean over and give Jack a quick hug. "See you later, Uncle Jack," the girl whispered before jogging off to join her sister and their friends waiting at the door.


	7. Chapter 7

A shuddering rattle rippled down the hall from the impact of the door slamming shut behind the departing teens. Jack laughed silently to himself. A long time since he had seen an exit carried out with that level of coordination, speed and enthusiasm. _An exit worthy of Torchwood_, the little narrator within commented. _Brings back memories, doesn't it_. Memories of his favourite team preparing for action sprung into the forefront of his mind. Toshiko packing up her laptop and equipment as Owen appears at the top of the stairs leading up from his medical bay. Gwen tossing out field kits on the way to the SUV, much like her daughter had just done with the backpacks, and arguing with Owen through the entire jog down the tunnel over whose turn it is to drive, of all things! If Jack hadn't already been convinced that those girls were Gwen Cooper's kids, what he had just witnessed would have proved it to him. Jack smiled; it was nice to be able to focus on the good memories.

Drawing his thoughts back to the present, the captain turned himself sideways in the kitchen chair to face his hostess. "Where are they off to, then?" he questioned Sarah Jane.

"Well, Meredith has a judo lesson at the same school as Jessica's self defense class," the girls' guardian informed the captain, "and Morgana and Katherine have a practice with their dance team."

"Meredith is studying judo?" Jack asked incredulously. "She fights?"

"Oh, they can both fight. Only Meredith formally competes though."

Jack was confused. From what he knew of her, Sarah Jane didn't seem like the type to sign her kids up for martial arts. "Really? That doesn't sound like the sort of thing that you'd encourage."

"Actually, it was their mother's idea."

Jack's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"She wanted them to be able to defend themselves; said anything could happen and they needed to be ready," Sarah Jane explained.

Jack nodded. '_You got to be ready.' _Another memory surfaced. One of his earliest conversations with Gwen: _'The 21__st__ century is when everything changes and you got to be ready.' She remembered. _

"By the time the girls came to me, they had years of training." Sarah Jane cleared the remaining dishing from the table and brought to the sink. "It wasn't just fighting though," she said over her shoulder as she filled the sink with warm water. "She also had them learn to dance and swim. Gwen insisted that the girls have balanced lives."

_Good girl, Gwen Cooper._ "Not easy for people in our world," the Captain commented casually.

"No. It's not." Sarah Jane immersed the four used teacups in the sudsy water. "But it is important. We can't forget who we are."

Jack agreed. "...what it means to be human," he muttered quietly to himself.

Having not quite heard what Jack had said, Sarah Jane turned to look at her guest. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Something a friend once told me." He waved his hand in the air dismissively. He twitched his head towards the freshly cleaned dishes. "Need a hand with those?" he offered in an attempt to change the subject.

Sarah Jane smiled pleasantly and handed the man a dish towel. After a few moments of working in silence, Sarah Jane spoke. "I don't suppose you have anywhere to stay given how long you've been away."

Jack shook his head. "I guess not. Can't exactly go back to the Hub right now, can I?"

"Well, we'll just have to find room for you here," she said firmly. "I'd give you my boy Luke's room, but I'm expecting him home from uni for the weekend tomorrow. And I expect that once they knew you're here, the others will show up, too. That eliminates all their usually spots," she continued, half speaking to her guest and half thinking out loud, her sentence drifting off slightly towards the end.

A big, easy-going smile flashed across Jack's face. "Don't worry too much about me. I'm not picky and I don't sleep much anyway."

"In that case, why don't you take the couch in the attic?" Sarah suggested. "That way you'll have Mr. Smith for company whilst the rest of us are asleep." Thinking that perhaps the captain didn't remember about Mr. Smith from their shared adventure back when the Earth was stolen by the Daleks, Sarah Jane clarified her last statement. "Mr. Smith is, in simplest terms, our computer, but really he's more than just that. I'll introduce you to him as soon as we're done with the washing up."

True to her word, when the last of the dishes had been dried and returned to the cupboards, Sarah Jane led Jack up to the attic. Facing the false front of the chimney Sarah Jane said the words that would activate the computer hidden within: "Mr. Smith, I need you."

There was a puff and a hiss as the computer slide out of the opening brickwork in a cloud of steam playing a dramatic fanfare. As the last piece of the mechanism slide into place the screen lit up with a multicoloured, fluid display. The image fluctuated as the computer greeted its, for lack of a better term, user. "Good evening, Sarah Jane," the kind voice said. "I see we have a guest."

"This is Captain Jack Harkness."

"Hello, Captain Harkness," the computer said.

Jack returned the computer's greeting. "Rather polite for a computer, isn't he?" Jack commented to Sarah Jane.

"Oh, Mr. Smith is so much more than just a computer, as I am sure you will soon see for yourself." Sarah Jane's expression radiated both humour and affection.

"That is correct. I am a Xylok."

"Ooh, Xylok. A crystalline race capable of incredible levels of data storage and analysis," Jack exclaimed bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement like a little boy. "Ooh and interfaced with current Earth technology to build a living, self-aware supercomputer! This is amazing and way beyond the technology available." He turned to address Sarah Jane. "How'd you do it?"

It was not Sarah Jane, but Mr. Smith himself who responded to Jack's question. "I told her how," the voice of the supercomputer echoed from behind Jack.

Jack laughed. "Oh, we're going to get along just great," he told the computer with a huge grin.

"Mr. Smith," Sarah Jane interrupted. She waited until the computer acknowledged her to continue. "The captain will be staying with us for a while. While he is here, I want you to treat just like you would a member of the family."

"Of course, Sarah Jane," the computer answered.

"I have to pickup the girls," Sarah Jane told Jack, "so I'll leave you two to talk. I'll bring you up blankets and pillow for tonight when I get back."

Jack absentmindedly nodded his thanks already distracted by the marvelous technology in the attic. _I think I'm going to enjoy this visit,_ he thought to himself.

[**Hey all: There you go; another chapter. I hope you liked it. Please review, a simple 'Good job' is great; a more detailed review is even better. **

**Thanks for reading! Addy]**


	8. Family Meals

[**Hello, friends ('cause anyone who likes my stories is my friend):**

**Greetings from Canada, where spring appears to be playing tag with us (i.e. it shows up one day and runs away the next).**

**Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it.**

**Check out the poll on my profile for your opportunity to contribute to the story. Or hit the little blue thing that says 'Review'.]**

Throughout the galaxies and ages cultures have different practices regarding the size, composition and timing of meals. Within these cultures even there can be significant variation between households. In this respect 21st century Earth is (and/or was, depending on your point of reference) no different than anywhere else.

In many tropical countries, the largest meal of the day is eaten at midday, perhaps followed by a period of rest during the heat of the day. In these countries the evening meal may be served after dark as the cooler, daylight hours of the early evening are more convenient for work. Where afternoon heat does not present an obstacle to physical activity, such as most of North America and parts of Europe, the evening meal might be served earlier in the evening. Whether or not this evening meal is the largest of the day seems to be partially dependent on both the history of the area and the preferences of the family.

Some British families have their supper late in the evening. Because of the long wait between lunch and supper, the British long ago developed the custom of afternoon tea or simply 'tea', a light meal (or a substantial snack, if you prefer) eaten mid-afternoon. Nowadays, it is common to simply combine tea and dinner into a single evening meal. This was the usual habit of the occupants of 13 Bannerman Road, which they called 'tea'.

When Sarah Jane returned home with the girls, she sent them upstairs to do their homework while she started the stew for that evening's tea. Once she had the stew simmering she headed upstairs herself bearing two blankets, a pillow and a large shopping bag. At the top of the stairs, she paused to knock on the closed attic door. From the other side of the wooden door Jack's voice called for her to come in. Upon entering the attic Sarah Jane found Captain Harkness seated at the room's only table intently examining a piece of technology. She placed the pillow and blankets in a neat pile on one arm of the worn couch. "I brought you some bedding," she said indicating the items to Jack.

Jack, who was too distracted to reply, just nodded.

"What have you got there?" Sarah Jane placed the large, blue carry bag she was holding on the floor against the table leg, as she leaned in to get a better look at the object in the captain's hands.

Jack held the device out to Sarah Jane who carefully took from his hand. After turning the item in her hands and squinting at it for a moment, Sarah Jane nodded to herself. "The kids and I found that at a crash about a year and half ago." She placed it back on the table. "Mr. Smith was able to determine that it wasn't dangerous, but other than that I'm afraid I don't know much about it."

"It's a fascinating bit of tech," Jack enthused. "I wonder if I could get it to work."

Sarah Jane smiled. "Well you're welcome to tinker," she offered. "But don't destroy my house," she ordered mock sternly.

Jack jumped to his feet with a joking grin. "Yes, ma'am!" he replied giving her a crisp salute.

Sarah Jane laughed. "Now that we've established who's in charge, I'll leave you to it." She stepped away from the table and moved towards the door. She turned back for a moment. "By the way, there's a toothbrush, a razor and some clean clothing in the bag, hopefully the clothes fit, and tea will be ready in about an hour." Sarah Jane left closing the attic door behind her.

An hour and a half later, Jack was sitting at the table enjoying a warm, home-cooked meal. Sarah Jane sat at the head of the table. Morgana was seated to Sarah Jane's right, directly across from Jack. Meredith was seated to Jack's left. Between mouthfuls of bread and stew Jack was telling the others the story of Gwen's first 'tour' of the Hub. "…and then Myfanwy lets out this screech and I swear Gwen nearly jumped right out of her skin." Jack and the twins laughed.

Sarah Jane, on the other hand, wore an expression of utter confusion. "Who's Myfanwy?" she asked when the laughter began to die down.

"Pterodactyl," the other three chorused in unison. They looked at each other and burst out laughing again.

"Did you say 'pterodactyl'?"

They all nodded. "Well, if you want to get technical about it, Myfanwy's a pteranodon," Jack told her.

"Meaning a very large, prehistoric, flying lizard," Sarah Jane stated calmly. "What was a flying lizard doing in an underground base?" she asked in her very best motherly _what-exactly-were-you-thinking_ voice.

Jack shrugged. "Myfanwy was a sort of pet." He picked up a thick slice of bread. "Anyway, it's not like we could let her just fly around wild and terrorizing the locals, is it?"

Sarah Jane and Meredith found the captain's reasoning mildly amusing. Morgana on the other hand snorted sarcastically; being her practical mother's daughter through and through, had seen the huge flaw in her honorary uncle's explanation. "A letting a prehistoric creature fly freely in and out of your top secret hidden base in the middle of the city is a _brilliant_ way to avoid drawing attention," the raven-haired teenager scoffed. "You're a bloody genius, Uncle Jack."

Her words sparked a reaction from both adults at the table. From her foster-mother she received shock and disproval. "Morgana Seren Cooper-Williams, control your tongue! I never want to hear you speak like that again, especially to your elders!"

In stark contrast, Jack's reaction was to laugh and throw his hands up in mock defense. "Hey, come on now," he defended jokingly. "We trained her. No one ever noticed."

"I say you were lucky," the girl shot back, half kidding.

Jack laughed. "You're so Welsh," he said laughing. Jack's enormous grin shrank ever so slightly. He thought back to another segment of Gwen's first tour of the Hub: _**'…if no one can see it, when the lift's coming up there's a bloody big hole in the floor. Don't people fall in?' 'That's so Welsh...I show you something fantastic, you find fault.' **_Jack smiled with affection at the memory. "Just like your mother," he added more softly. He wondered what prompted the women of the Cooper family to ruin something wonderfully amazing by pointing out the practical.

"If I'm being Welsh than you ought to feel right at home," Morgana quipped. "After all, you spent God-only-knows-how-many years living in _Cardiff_." Her tone implied that no sane immortal would choose spend their extended lifetimes living in Cardiff, Wales.

Jack simply shrugged. Actually, of all the places he had lived, Cardiff was one of his favourites. Meredith laughed and said something to her sister in Welsh. The only word that Jack understood was _Tad_, the Welsh form of Dad. "And here I thought Welsh was supposed to be a dying language," Jack commented dryly. "What was that about anyway?"

Morgana giggled. "She said when I dumped on Cardiff like that I sounded like Dad," she explained.

Jack grinned. "You know, she might just have a point there," Jack laughed. "Poor Rhys." He shook his head. "He could never understand why aliens would end up in Cardiff. Apparently," he said teasingly, "there's nothing all that interesting about Cardiff."

Both girls smiled and nodded. They, too, thought that sounded rather like Rhys.


	9. First Night

A soft rapping sound came from the closed attic door. Jack turned away from his conversation with Mr. Smith. "Yeah?" he called.

"Uncle Jack?" came the soft voice of one of the girls (Jack wasn't sure which), "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Door's open!"

The door squeaked open and a pair of bright blue eyes peeked into the attic. Reassured that she wasn't interrupting anything important Meredith slipped quietly into the attic leaving the door open behind her. She cheerfully greeted both Jack and the computer. Jack offered a welcoming smile in response and Mr. Smith wished Meredith a pleasant evening.

Turning to Jack, the girl held up her hand to show him the stack of notebook paper she held. "I just came to have Mr. Smith check my homework. Aunt Sarah's rubbish with this stuff," the girl explained.

Jack was curious. "Can I see?"

The teenager shrugged and handed over the papers. Pencil markings covered the line sheets: diagrams, equations and calculations.

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Isn't this level of mathematics a bit advanced for someone your age?" he asked.

Meredith smiled shyly and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm good at maths," she said simply.

"So I see."

"I'm not a genius or anything, but for the most part I do really well in school."

"I'm not surprised. Your mum was very clever,"

"Is," Meredith stated firmly.

"What was that?"

"I said my mum _**is **_very clever," the girl repeated. "She's not dead, just missing. I'm sure of it."

Jack stared at the teenager in front of him. "What makes you think Gwen's alive?" he studied her face carefully while.

Meredith scrunched up her face in concentration. "It's like I can almost feel her or something," she tapped her head with one finger, "you know, in here." Meredith turned away from Jack to gaze off into empty space. "When I was younger, before Mam and Tad disappeared, it was stronger. Now it's like something's blocking me." She whirled around to face Jack. "But my mother's not dead! I just know it." The expression on her face made it clear that she would accept no argument on this matter.

Jack studied her calmly for a moment. "Okay," he said.

Meredith wasn't sure weather to believe him or not. "I'm not crazy, Uncle Jack," she said, her voice trembling.

Jack's warm hand settled comfortingly on her shoulder. "I know you're not," he reassured her when she looked up. "I believe you."

Meredith sniffled and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Jack returned the hug, putting his own arms around the upset child. "We'll figure it out," he whispered. "You'll see, it's going to be alright." For quite sometime Jack just stood there with his arms around his crying niece, rocking her from side to side and promising the girl that her uncle was here for her. It was all he could do, but it was enough for now.

**[Ooh the muses are active today. Please visit my profile and a****nswer the poll. And remember: good reviews feed the muses.]**


	10. Hydroshowers & mobile phones

**[To my wonderful audience:**

**I love the reviews you are giving my story; please keep 'em coming. Many of you have asked some very important questions, mostly about why and how Gwen's kids came to be living with Sarah Jane. I assure you Jack wants to know just as much as you do if not more. I'll be getting to that soon. I've also been asked what Jack's been up to all this time and just how long he has been gone. I will be slowly shedding some light on this as well.**

**In this chapter: Jack's first morning on Bannerman Road **

**Coming soon: Jack meets 'the others'****.**

**Enjoy!**

**Addy]**

**[P.S. Where you see a * in this chapter you can go to the end of the chapter for further explanation.]**

Warm, yellow sunlight slipped in through the small attic windows. The soft, natural light lit the simple wood and brick surrounding creating a warm, comforting glow. On one side of the room, the plain, ordinary table was covered in the scattered electronic components of an unknown machine; clearly the remnant of someone's tinkering. On the other side of the room, sat a slightly battered couch; the kind no mother would ever allow in her sitting room where her guests might see it, but is still usable and can't yet be thrown out. This particular couch was currently occupied by the aforementioned tinkerer wrapped in a red blanket. As the light levels in the room increased steadily, the man woke and stirred.

Jack stood and stretched his arms over his head. He hadn't had a night's rest that good in a very long time. Not since he had last used the identity of Jack Harkness. It was difficult to get a good night's sleep when always on the move. A good, deep, restful sleep requires the sleeper to feel safe, both in his surroundings and in his own dreams. With time travel it was hard to tell, but Jack figured it had been fifty years or more since both his environment and his psyche were in a condition to allow a peaceful night. Luckily, even before then Jack had had plenty of experience operating on very little sleep. Besides the human body mainly requires sleep for self-repair, something that was unnecessary for Jack; his body repaired itself automatically and almost instantly whether he slept or not. _Insta-heal, _he thought to himself, the voice in his head imitating an announcer in an annoying infomercial, _the perfect solution for the immortal insomniac in your life!_ Jack chuckled quietly to himself; too bad he could never market it.

The blue tote bag of supplies that Sarah Jane had brought up the previous evening still sat leaning against the wooden leg of the table. Reaching in Jack pulled out a disposable men's razor, shaving cream and a plain toothbrush with a clear, green plastic handle. After a moment's consideration he also pulled from the bag a clean t-shirt and boxers. If he had been alone and/or in his own home, he would have been perfectly comfortable walking from the shower back to his room sans clothing. However, none of the three twenty-first century females living in this home were his wife or girlfriend, nor was he a small child, so wandering around naked would most likely bring an end to his welcome as a houseguest. Jack draped the fresh garments over his left arm and with grooming supplies in hand made his way to the washroom.

Folded and stacked neatly on the counter next to the washroom sink were two large, cream coloured towels and a washcloth. On the top of the pile lay a white index card bearing a note written with a black felt-tip pen:

Captain-

Thought you might want some fresh towels. Just hang them up when you're done. Soap and shampoo are in the shower, help yourself.

-S.-J. S.

Jack smiled gratefully at Sarah Jane's thoughtfulness.

After a few moments of fiddling with the taps to adjust the temperature of the water flowing from the facet, Jack switched the flow of water to shower mode and stepped into the tub. As a traveler, Jack had experienced many methods of maintaining one's personal hygiene, ranging from the high-tech sonic showers on advanced spacecraft to a bowl of murky looking water and a rag and many, many things in between, some of them amazing and others that he would gladly erase from memory permanently. At that exact moment, as far as this particular adventurer was concerned, none of those methods could bet a good, old fashioned Earth style hydro-shower.*** **The warm spray of water was familiar and comforting to Jack after spending so long away. Jack was pleased to discover on the shelf in the shower a bottle of ordinary, no-nonsense 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner and similarly plain bar of soap. While he wouldn't have had too much of a problem using products scented like fruit or flowers, Jack was fairly certain that there were two teenaged girls who would get no end of entertainment out of giving him grief for smelling of passion fruit and daisies. _Safer to stick with the plain stuff_, he thought as he helped himself to the soap and shampoo as per Sarah Jane's instructions.

When he was clean, groomed and dressed in the boxers and T-shirt he had brought along to the bathroom, Jack bundled up his small pile of dirty garments and returned to the attic for the change of clothes which Sarah Jane had provided. Inside the blue tote bag, Jack discovered a pair of jeans, socks, shoes and a light jacket. It different from the style he had adopted during his previous time on Earth, but not unlike some of the outfits he had worn in his mortal days during his adventures with the Doctor and Rose. Best of all they were clean and they fit, when Jack put them on. Eventually, he was going to need more than two sets of clothes, but what he had would do for now, he decided. In the back of his mind, Jack wondered what he was going to do about money. Would the money he had put aside during his time at Torchwood still be available to him after more than fifteen years? He supposed he would need to find out. After all he couldn't expect Sarah Jane to provide free food, clothes and lodging forever, could he? But that was a problem for another time. Right now his primary mission was to find breakfast and an oversized mug of extra strength coffee.

Meredith and Morgana were enjoying their morning break in the school's courtyard when Morgana's phone rang. After a quick glance at the call display, she answered. "Just a second," she told the caller. She pushed a button on the phone. "Alright," she called out, "you're on speaker."

"You know, Ana*, I understand that most people answer the phone with a 'hello'," teased the voice of her foster brother, Luke Smith, over the phone.

Morgana rolled her eyes. "Hello, Luke," she intoned sarcastically as her sister snickered quietly beside her.

Meredith leaned in to join the conversation. "Hey, big brother!" she called.

"Goldfire*!" the young man on the other end replied. The girls could hear his smile in his voice. "How are my two favourite sisters, today?"

"Luke," Meredith whined jokingly, "we're your only sisters."

"Oh, well then that would explain why you brats are my favourites than, wouldn't it?" Luke teased.

"You know," Morgana commented dryly, "sometimes I think that I liked you better when you still struggled with humour."

"Aren't you supposed to respect your elders?"

"Well technically, Luke, your not that much older than we are." Meredith pointed out. "You hadn't been activated that long when we were born.*"

"I could argue that developmentally I am much older than you," Luke answered. "But we already had this conversation last time I was home."

Morgana was getting impatient. "And you'll be home again tonight, so I'm whatever reason you have for calling is something that you wanted dealt with before then," she crossed her arms in annoyance even though there was no way for Luke to see it through the phone. "So, out with it!"

Luke hesitated for a moment.

His "sister" (Morgana) rolled her eyes at his silence. "Yo, brain box!" she yelled into the phone holding it close to her face. "We don't have all day here. Mer* and I need to be back in class in five minutes. If you don't start talking soon, I'm going to…"

"Fine!" Luke shouted interrupting Morgana's rant. "Mum called and said that Captain Harkness finally showed up."

Meredith grabbed her sister's right arm to pull the phone toward her own body. "Yeah, Uncle Jack's back. So what?"

"To you he's Uncle Jack," Luke told her. "To me he's the former head of Torchwood."

"Come on, Luke," Meredith whined. "It's not like he's a total stranger. We've heard plenty about him from the others. Aunt Sarah said you even talked to him on the Subwave network during that whole thing with the stolen planets."

Morgana grinned impishly. "I can't believe that you're this shy about meeting Uncle Jack. You'll be fine," she insisted. "We'll see you tonight."

"Don't forget the dog!" Meredith yelled. "He can help you and Uncle Jack to fix some of that junk in the attic."

"It's not junk!" Luke protested. This was an old and often repeated conversation. "It's…"

"Bye, Luke," the girls chorused before he could continue and Morgana quickly pressed the button to cut off the call. The girls looked at each other and laughed. "We need to something about that shyness!" Morgana stated. Meredith nodded her agreement.

**[Hydro-shower: a shower using water to clean, like the ones we might take. Unlike a sonic-shower which would use sound waves to vibrate the dirt off.**

**Ana: (pronounced like Anna) shortened form of Morgana. The equivalent for Meredith's name is 'Mer' (sounds similar to Mary without the 'ee'**** at the end).**

**Goldfire: a nickname inspired by Meredith's gold tinged hair and bright eyes.**

**I am saying that Luke was activated approximately two years before the twins were born. I am also saying that he had the body of a twelve to thirteen year old when he was activated. This means that he is 17, but has the body and development of a 29 year old. If you are wondering why he is still in university: Luke has been at university for just over 10 years because ****(a) he is working on multiple high level degrees, (b) he took a year or two off to travel, when he had completed his undergraduate work.**

**Mer: short for 'Meredith', see 'Ana' above.**


	11. Breakfast and Conversations

**[Visit my profile. Take the poll. Review my story. **_**Please….pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top…**_**]**

There's something about the scent of freshly brewed coffee that is immensely and mysteriously refreshing. It's a scent that clears and refreshes the olfactory glands, which is why they have small containers of coffee beans at perfume counters in department stores. Even people who find the flavour unappealing are drawn to the smell of fresh coffee. It was this scent that drifted down the halls and up the stairs of number thirteen Bannerman Road that morning. Jack, who happened to be one of the people who found the flavour of coffee extremely appealing, allowed his twitching nose to guide him to the kitchen.

When Jack arrived in the kitchen, he found Sarah Jane sitting at the table. The daily paper was spend across the kitchen table and was showing obvious signs of having been picked through by the house's three residents. Beside the sections of newspaper was a plate of toast, another plate with a few pastries, and a large coffee carafe.

Sarah Jane looked up at Jack and smiled. "Morning," she greeted. "Would you like some breakfast? There's still toast and whatnot on the table or there's cereal in the cupboard." She passed him a clean plate and an empty mug.

"Toast and coffee will be fine." Jack smiled as he pulled out a chair and seated himself at the table. He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a large gulp. It was strong, fresh and hot, just as a good cup of coffee ought to be in Jack's opinion. Jack raised his cup to Sarah Jane in a gesture that half resembled a salute. He smiled, "Good coffee".

Sarah Jane nodded her thanks with a soft smile. Her hands moved quickly as they gathered the scattered sections of the morning's newspaper. The main pages were closed and set in the middle of the table, while the additional sheets were folded neatly and set aside in a tidy pile. An empty but recently used mug sat within reach of Sarah Jane's right hand. Once the paper had been tidied, the mug was pulled forward. Sarah Jane added two inches of milk and a heaping spoon of sugar to the mug. She stirred the sugar into the milk before pouring her coffee. For some reason Sarah Jane liked to prepare her coffee this way, but even Sarah Jane herself was unable to identify the reason. For a while, Sarah Jane just sat and stirred her coffee while it cooled.

Jack picked up a slice of toast from the plate and spread it with jam. "Find anything interesting in there?" he inclined his head towards the main section of the newspaper which was still lying between them on the table.

Sarah Jane shrugged. "Nothing terribly exciting," she answered, "unless, you happen to be interested in vanishing livestock."

"It's not on the top of my list of concerns," Jack grinned and chuckled. "How about you?"

Sarah Jane smiled and shook her head. Although it was perhaps curious, a string of sheep disappearances was hardly a cause for great concern. _After all, animals go missing all the time, don't they?_ "I see the clothes fit alright," Sarah Jane commented after a moment, in an attempt to make further conversation.

Jack nodded. "Thanks, by the way."

"It's not a problem, I assure you, Captain," Sarah Jane said. "I suppose you'll need to go out and pick up a few more things for yourself."

"I suppose I should," Jack said. Then he grinned. "Not that I would have a problem going around bare, mind you, but it might be a bit of a shock for the neighbours." He winked cheekily.

Sarah Jane groaned good naturedly. "Oh. I'm well aware of your penchant towards nakedness, Captain. I've heard plenty of stories over the years from both Martha and Gwen."

"Speaking of Gwen, when did the two of you become so close?" Jack asked. "Last I knew, the two of you were just barely aware of each other's existence and now you're raising her children."

Sarah Jane leaned back in her chair as she thought. "I suppose," she said slowly, "that in a way you're responsible for that."

**[Author****'s note: I think that I'll end it there for a moment. Don't worry you won't be waiting long.  
****If you would like a better idea of what Meredith and Morgana look like, please go to my profile. ****If you're curious about the other image, just hold tight.  
Please review. A special surprise to the first reviewer who indentifys the clue in the paper.]**


	12. Family and Choices

_Last chapter:_

"_Speaking of Gwen, when did the two of you become so close?" Jack asked. "Last I knew, the two of you were just barely aware of each other's existence and now you're raising her children."_

_ Sarah Jane leaned back in her chair as she thought. "I suppose," she said slowly, "that in a way you're responsible for that."_

Jack raised an eyebrow questioningly at Sarah Jane's answer.

"Well, you and Martha," she revised. "You see after you left, it was Martha who helped Gwen get everything sorted out…."

Sarah Jane told Jack how Martha and Gwen become very close working together to rebuild Torchwood. After the events surrounding the stolen planets and the Dalek Crucible, Martha and Sarah Jane had remaining in touch. It was Martha who introduced Gwen to Sarah Jane properly. Every once in a while a little group of Earth's defenders would meet up: Gwen, Rhys, Martha, Mickey and Sarah Jane (along with her boy). At first it was a little club, maybe even a sort of support group, but over time they had bonded to become an odd little family. ("The Children of Time," Jack muttered, remembering the words of an insane monster.) Outside of this little family, there were very few people who would understand the lives its members led. There were things that could be shared with no one else, not even blood relatives. As a result, this group became far closer than some biological families, bound together by their unique experiences.

When Gwen had to decide who would be guardian of her children if something should happen to her and Rhys, it was only logical that she choose from among the members of that little circle. Meredith's mysterious nature and everything the girls would and did see meant that leaving them to be raised by either set of grandparents was simply not an option. Martha and Mickey had a lifestyle that was too unstable and unpredictable to be convenient for raising two children. It had been decided that Sarah Jane was the logical choice as guardian. After all, as well as being settled in a large house, Sarah Jane was the only one with any childrearing experience. So, Sarah Jane Smith was made the legal guardian of Meredith and Morgana Cooper-Williams in their parents' absence.

"Actually," Sarah Jane said, "I think I was Gwen's second choice."

Jack leaned forward slightly. His face showed that he was curious, but he chose to remain silent and wait for his friend to continue.

"I'm fairly certain that if you had been here, Gwen would have tried to name you guardian."

"Me?" Jack yelled incredulously.

Sarah Jane seemed totally unaffected by her guest's shock. "Who better to protect your kids than a man who cannot die?"

"Maybe someone whose daughter was hidden from him because he was too dangerous?" Jack offered sarcastically. He could not fathom why Gwen would even consider entrusting him, of all people, with her children. "I destroy lives. They're safer with you. Hell, they'd be safer at the end of the universe than with me. Trust me, I've been there!"

"Captain?" Sarah Jane interrupted calmly. "You're ranting!"

Jack took a deep, calming breath. "Sorry." He looked down at the table. "I just hate to think what I would have done to them."

Sarah Jane shook her head. "Remember the Crucible?" She waited until Jack nodded before she continued. "Well you don't destroy lives anymore than the Doctor turns his companions into soldiers and monsters. They make their own choices! You would both be wise to remember that."

Jack hung his head in response to her scolding. He could accept what she told him, but he wasn't sure yet if he believed it.

"And if that isn't enough," Sarah Jane continued, "think of this: Gwen heard and saw the things you did and could still trust you. I don't know about you but I've always thought that Gwen had good instincts for that sort of thing."

Jack smiled sadly. "I'll accept the argument," he said, "but I still doubt the premise."

"You'll come around," Sarah Jane assured him.

**Author****'s note: Ok, the pieces are coming together. Stay tuned! More explanations and a family reunion, or two, or three… coming up**


	13. Search

Jack sat silently at the kitchen table thinking over everything he'd learned over the past few days. There was one question in particular that he was unable to let go. He knew how and why Sarah Jane Smith had been named as guardian to Gwen's girls, but he was unclear on why she had actually been called upon to serve in that capacity. When Sarah Jane stood up and started clearing the table, Jack called her back.

"Sarah Jane?"

She turned back towards him.

"There is one part of the story that hasn't come up yet." Jack paused and took a deep breath. "Where are Gwen and Rhys? I mean, Meredith is convinced that Gwen's alive, but other than that no one has said anything."

Sarah Jane was quiet for a moment, unsure of how best to answer. "We haven't said because we don't know," she said quietly.

"You must know something," Jack insisted.

"First of all, you should probably know that both Gwen and Rhys are officially listed as 'Missing, Presumed Dead'."

Jack sighed and nodded. He'd been expecting something along those lines. "What happened?"

"They disappeared," Sarah Jane told him. "It was a little over five years ago. They left the girls with a sitter, went out for the evening and never came back. They simply vanished."

"And you don't know how or why?"

Sarah Jane shook her head. "We looked, but we never came up with anything. After two years they were listed as presumed dead."

"No clues? No theories?"

Sarah Jane shook her head.

"Shit!" Jack swore.

Sarah Jane looked at him disapprovingly. She returned to stacking the dirty dishes, muttering under her breath about fixing Jack's language. As she carried the dishes to the sink she turned her head to address Jack over her shoulder. "Maybe you will be able to come up with something the rest of us missed."

"Maybe I will," Jack said. He had a thought. "Say! Can your computer connect to Torchwood?"

"If someone approves it from the other end," Sarah Jane answered. "What are you thinking?"

Jack shook his head. "It's just an idea. I'm not even sure if anything will come of it yet, but I need to link with Torchwood to try it."

Sarah Jane smiled. "I think we'll be able to work that out. It might take a while though," she warned.

"How long?"

"A few days at most, I would think."

Jack nodded. He could handle waiting a few days, if that's what it would take to get what he needed to find Gwen.

**Author****'s Note:**

**Visit my profile and answer the poll. I need input!**

**As always keep reading and keep reviewing!**

**A special shout out to my new friend 'Tannim13', the only person to respond to my challenge. As a prize for the correct answer Tannim gets to submit a middle name for an upcoming character. **


	14. Captain, Uncle, Mister, Brother?

Until Jack got some things sorted out, he had no money of his own. At least, no money he could used in early 21st century Britain. He figured that there had been what amounted to roughly two and a half years salary put away when he'd left Earth fifteen-plus years ago. (You can save a lot of rent when you literally live at work.) The problem was he couldn't access it at the moment. For now, Jack had borrowed some money from Sarah Jane and headed out to buy himself the basic items he would need until he could access his old bank account. Mostly what he needed was clothing; two changes of clothes was fine if he wanted to do laundry everyday, but eventually something would get torn, or stained or he would get shot and then Jack would be done to only one set of clothing. If he was going to be around for a while, he definitely needed at least one more change of clothes. So, Sarah Jane leant him her car and some cash and off he went in search of some basic supplies.

Jack was not much of a shopper. It wasn't that he hated shopping in and of itself. He had just had too much else to get done to spend large amounts of time shopping. In his recent past on Earth, Jack suspect that the ever prepared Ianto had bought his clothing in bulk and cached it somewhere until needed. After Ianto signed on with Torchwood 3, no matter how many outfits Jack ruined, he never seemed to run out of shirts. The only explanation the Captain could come up with was that his favourite Support Officer had been secretly replacing his clothing as it became damaged or worn. But no one was going to make sure Jack didn't run out clothing now, so Jack was going shopping.

It only took Jack a couple of hours to find everything he needed: some basic grooming and hygiene supplies, undergarments, socks, a few shirts, a couple pairs of trousers, and another jacket. He even managed to find a pair of boots and a few outfits in his classic 1940s style. It wasn't much; he could probably fit it all into a single duffle. Of course at many times throughout his multiple lifetimes, Jack's possessions had, in fact, been limited to what he could carry in a single duffle. This was nothing new. With his purchases loaded into Sarah Jane's small car, Jack drove back to the house.

When Jack arrived at the house that afternoon, he discovered two backpacks (one blue and one black), a large canvas laundry bag, and a nice brown shoulder bag piled in the front hall. _Looks like the kids are home, _he thought glancing at the mound. He heard voices and followed the sound into the living room. When he entered the room, three heads turned towards him. Jack found himself the focus of three pairs of eyes: one pair bright, glittering blue, one rather stunned pair of a greyer blue and one a very familiar shade of hazel-green.

Meredith was the first to speak. "Look who's here, Uncle Jack!" she exclaimed loudly and cheerfully. Her right arm flew out as she gestured towards the man seated next to her on the couch.

The man leaned over to mutter something in her ear that sounded to Jack like 'calm down goldfire'. The girl whispered something back that Jack couldn't quite hear; what ever it was she said Jack was fairly sure it wasn't in English anyway.

Jack turned to look at the man. "It's Luke, right?" he asked.

The man nodded. "And you're Captain Harkness," the man said holding out his hand, there was no question in his voice.

Jack took the hand the younger man offered. "I wasn't sure you'd remember." Jack laughed. "You know we never met properly, only for that brief time over the subwave."

"Near-eidetic memory, sir," Luke stated matter-of-factly.

Jack smiled. "If you keep calling me 'sir' and 'Captain', I'm to have to start calling you 'Mr. Smith'," Jack warned teasingly.

The girls snickered in the background. One of them whispered to the other, "That'll get confusing." They other replied with, "Ya think?"

Jack continued. "I'm living in your mother's attic, your foster sister's call me 'uncle', don't you think it's a little silly for you to be addressing me by rank all the time." Jack smiled.

Luke smiled. "While, I'm a bit old to be calling you 'uncle' don't you think?"

Jack burst out laughing. "Kid, I'm over a thousand years old," he replied when the laughter subsided. "I think I might have great-grandchildren out there somewhere who are older than you!"

"Ok, so you're over a thousand and I'm seventeen. You still only look about 10 years older than me."

"So, neither of us looks our real age!"

Meredith giggled and whispered something to Luke who nodded and smiled. "She said 'that's more common in this family than you'd think'," Luke explained to Jack. He waved off Jack's confused expression. "Don't worry, Captain. I'm sure you'll understand eventually."

"Again with the Captain business!" Jack grumbled jokingly. "May I point out that your mother and I are both so called "Children of Time". So in a way I **am** your uncle. If you won't call me 'uncle', at least call me 'Jack'."

Luke chuckled. "Fine. Jack it is." He returned to his seat on the couch, as Jack sat down on the other side of Meredith.

They had just gotten comfortable, when Sarah Jane walked into the living room. She seemed mildly surprised to see Jack on the couch. "Oh! Captain, you're back!"

The room erupted into laughter; leaving a very puzzled Sarah Jane wondering what she'd missed that was so funny.


End file.
